Another food question - # meals per day, etc.

Schnoogly wrote: I am wondering when your babies started to eat two meals per day? Iain is almost 7 months old and usually only gets solids once per day. Sometimes he doesn't even get that because he is mad/not interested. He has been eating veggies since about 5 months.

Also, I know I'm supposed to be feeding a breakfast/lunch/dinner timed meal, but I am also supposed to give it after he takes a bottle or nurses. This is difficult because he eats so irregularly, little bits at a time. Should I not worry about him getting a bottle first and start feeding veggies at the same time every day, like for lunch? If he eats veggies it is usually mid-afternoon, as a "snack" whenever he takes a bottle.

He only likes a few kinds of veggies but he's gotten better about eating them. Still only about 1/3 jar though is as much as he will eat. Should I not worry about this until he's older? He is really not ready for any table foods for sure--he doesn't even like it when I mash the banana too chunky--gags on it. He doesn't like cereal (it also makes him constipated). At what point should I start encouraging him to eat more solids?

Also when he is with DH in the afternoons he almost never gets veggies. For some reason DH always forgets, or says Iain didn't want any. Should I worry about inconsistency and tell DH it's really important that Iain get some veggies??

supermom replied: I don't think I'd worry too much about him not eating as much and/or consistently as long as he's doing fine. He's gaining weight, and progressing in other areas. Most nutrition *should* come from BM/Formula even at this age. I don't think that solids are really that important in the first year. Yes, it's a good start to introduce them at 6-9 mos of age, and the AAP suggests delaying that to between 4-6 mos. Since he's only 7 mos (a little less) then it's I don't think it's that critical.

If he's getting enough fluids, you might want to try to be consistent with the afternoon veggies, bottle or not, but if DH doesn't do it, I wouldn't sweat it or make it a major issue. As he grows and his digestive system matures, he will probably want to have more, but if it were me I wouldn't worry about it as long as he's getting his BM/Formula and growing at a rate acceptable to your ped.

I had said a long while back in another post about toddlers and that I had once read in some parent's magazine that a 2 year old could actually survive well on 1/2 a banana and a glass of milk a day for food. In that case, I quit worrying about how much my kids ate, as long as they were growing!

I meant to say too that Anders was about 9 mos when he went to two meals a day, before that he was getting an afternoon meal like Iain, about 1 or so when he got up from his AM nap. Then we went to "brunch" and something between lunch and dinner (since it's usually 8 pm or so before DH and I eat, and still is, but now that he's older, he gets an afternoon snack and can wait that long for dinner)

Schnoogly replied: That's good. I just keep reading all the posts about babies getting several meals a day plus bm or formula and this baby doesn't really want that at all. I do want him to eat more solids so he can drink less formula and go to bm only, but I know that won't be until after a year probably.

maestra replied: Don't worry- I really have to push Jaci to eat the 3 solid meals the ped wants her having. She prefers bm.

No migraines and no meds 4 nights and counting!

Kirstenmumof3 replied: Claudia has 3 meals a day and about 3 snacks a day. We started at 2 meals when she was about 8 mths old. She didn't start solids until 6 mths.

Schnoogly replied: Michelle that's great! Hope you stay headache free. I can't figure out what triggers mine...usually stress. Now that you're back from your trip maybe your head will calm down a little??

Steph

catou_98 replied: I "offer" camille 3 meals a day, breakfast,lunch,dinner, she eats at the same time we eat, I just sit her down in her high chair at the table with us and I give her some of what we're eating or if she can't have any(ex:steak=too hard for her to chew) then i give her something else like a scramble egg with some yogourt. She also get her 4 bottles a day.

Like I said, I "offer" her food but she sometimes doesn't want anything to do with it, I still give her some tought, she playes with with, put it in her hair! , trows it on the floor, do whatever with it, she sometimes eat a bite or too in all that!....KWIM? because I do want her to get used to eating the same times we do etc....

HTH

MommyToAshley replied: I started Ashley out with one meal (dinner right before bed) at 4 months and then went to two meals around 5-1/2 months. She now eats 3 meals and two snacks. She also eats the same time we do. (Except breakfast, I usually skip breakfast). I BF afterwards. And, trust me, she gets plenty of BM. She still nurses about every 2 hours and always has. (except for nights, she doesn't nurse at night any more).

If you really want to move him to two meals, why not try a breakfast and a dinner instead of a lunch. This way the meals are spread further apart. And, like I said, I think it is ok to nurse/bottlefeed afterwards if he is taking a bottle or nursing at other times.

This is just my opinion and what worked for Ashley. Just a note, she just recently started eating more and so I added the snacks. She used to only take a few bites of baby food. It wasn't until we introduced table food that her appetite really took off.

Guest replied:

Daniel is 8 months old and I'm lucky to get him to eat a half jar of baby food in a day. I offer it twice, and he will eat about five bites enthusiastically if it's something he likes, then he doesn't want any more. He rejects cereal, except for the prunes and oatmeal combo that comes in a jar. DH also always seems to forget to offer him solids or says he wouldn't eat---is that a guy thing? I consulted my pediatrician the other day, and he was comfortable with the amount of food Daniel's eating as long as he's nursing and getting his nutrition from that---as long as he's gaining weight and seems healthy. (When I read on these posts how much some babies are eating I got worried---but my pediatrician says some babies are just more interested in solids, and that formula or breastmilk is still fine at this point, just to keep offering solids.)

Your schnoogly is a cutie, by the way! What a gorgeous baby!

-- Tracy and Daniel

DansMom replied:
Forgot to log on before replying! Last post was from DansMom.

jcc64 replied: Corey is offered 3 meals a day, but whether she's interested is another story. Not a big chowhound here. She bf 3X a day, but takes very little in the way of bottles. She's 10.5 months old, and weighs 17.2 lbs. She's pretty petite, but no amount of cajoling will sway her to eat if she's not interested. And like the others have said, no healthy baby will starve herself.

ediep replied: I offer Jason 3 meals too, usually he will eat 1/2 jar and cheerios for breakfast, 1 jar for lunch and 1 jar plus some of what we are eating for dinner. Sometimes, he goes through periods where he does not want any jars of baby food. I try to go with the flow.